The H&K P30 felt really good in my hands. The 3 options of grips made things easier.

The DAK trigger on the Sig takes some getting used to. I wonder if it helps accuracy. The DA/SA triggers seemed much more natural to me.

Does anyone live in Durham or know if I have to get the pistol permit application notarized in durham?

They seem to be bitches about this whole thing. Only letting you have 2 permits at a time, instead of wake county, where they let you have 5. Why 2 character witnesses? Why not just one? I should have stayed in Wake County.

^ Everyone at Davis seems like either a nice gun geek who will talk your ear off about anything that you want to know about or a total gun snob who will piss down your throat knowing less than they do.

Just stay away from the young guys with the wannabe military haircuts and you should be fine.

And Durham isn't as bad as Orange county. A friend of mine had to get 3 character witnesses and wait 3 months for his permit. Then he moved to Durham before he could save up the money for the Glock that he wanted. He's too frustrated to even deal with it again.

Fired two magazines through a Walther p99 9mm, Sig229 .40 today. Recoil wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm sure there would be more fatigue if I put more rounds through it.

The DAK trigger is not for me. It's too long of a pull. I prefer DA/SA.

Does anyone have advice on the .40 to 9mm conversion barrels by bar-sto? do i need anything else?

Is it even worth it? or should I just get a separate 9mm if I'm going through the trouble of a conversion barrel?

This is what the site has to say:

Quote :

"9mm for 40/357 firearmsFor Sig firearms the 229,226. You only need to change the barrel and most of the time you can use the 40/357 magazines. On the 239 you only change the barrel and can use the 40 but not the 357 sig mags. On all these you can get factory 9mm mags for those.No spring changes needed. The breech face is fine and the extractor on these type of firearms springs over far enough to catch the case head and extract reliably. "

Quote :

"Save yourself the trouble and bring some Raleigh mail to the Wake Co sherriff's office to prove that you live there.They get all 5 permits that they allow."

* of good moral character, and * a resident of Wake County, and * able to certify that the weapon is required for one or more of the following reasons only: 1. Protection of home, business or property of the applicant 2. Target shooting 3. Collecting 4. Hunting * 21 years of age or older due to restrictions on firearms dealers, and

Must not be:

* convicted of any felony, or similar offense in any jurisdiction or currently under indictment for any felonious offense, or * a fugitive from justice, or * an unlawful user of, addicted to, marijuana, any depressant, stimulant or narcotic drug, or * an adjudged incompetent on the grounds of mental illness, nor have been committed to any mental institution. (Statutory Authority: G.S. 14-404) * convicted of a Domestic Violence Offense

The Application Process:You must obtain a valid pistol permit whether you receive the weapon from a commercial dealer or a private person. The requirement also applies without regard to whether it is a transaction for money or a gift. It is a misdemeanor to sell or otherwise dispose of a handgun without first obtaining a pistol permit from the recipient of the pistol.

The applicant must certify to the above requirements. The penalty for any false statements by either party may include criminal prosecution for perjury.

The applicant must have a valid North Carolina driver's license bearing the correct, current address or another picture ID.

The processing period is generally seven days. At the time that the applicant returns for the permit, he or she shall be required to produce a valid driver's license or other form of current, valid photographic identification.

Permits cost $5.00 each. There is an administrative limit of five (5) permits per application. The permit is valid for five (5) years from issue date."

^^^^ I grew up learning how to shoot on an M1 Garand and an M1 Carbine. I was partial to the garand, but both were a blast to shoot. There was actually a pretty good exhibit on Carbine Williams at the NC History Museum, although I'm not sure if its still there.

^^ I've gone ahead and decided that when I'm insanely rich and have a huge ranch out in Montana I'm going to splurge and get a high end .50 rifle for busting watermelons.

"would you get the bolt action or the semi-auto?keep in mind the semi-auto costs almost twice as much."

I'd go with the bolt action.You don't need a semiauto, ammo is too expensive to blast away (even if you handload). The bolt will be a little more accurate.You'll also have a lot more money left over for really good glass.

If I got a 50BMG I'd look hard at Serbu's guns.They are much cheaper than a barrett. Nice and simple guns.

BOHICA 50BMG uppers for AR-15 lowers are only around $1k. A BOHICA upper and complete AR lower is the cheapest option.

"Does anyone have advice on the .40 to 9mm conversion barrels by bar-sto? "

I own a P239 in .357 Sig and was curious about this so I called Sig and asked them about the idea. The rep I spoke with said not to do it because the slide was different. That is why Sig does not offer the 9mm conversion in their .40/.357 frames. Barstow make great products but I personally have seen a KA-BOOM http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=460321 and I would hate to wreck a high end gun doing something that the builder told me not to try. I think I am just going to buy a P226 in 9mm, I have had one on loan for a few weeks now and really like it almost as much as my P220. The New Sig P250 http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=54&productid=183 can interchange almost anything you want. (9mm, .357SIG, .40S&W and .45ACP). Might want to check that out.

Quote :

"what do yall think of a springfield 40"

I havn't been impressed with them. The few I have seen at the range have had many problems with FTF and FTE. Some guys swear by them though. Just my $.02

Nah, I'm not big on polymer. I was just looking at at pistol that had it. There are a lot of features of the P30 that intrigue me. The decock button by the hammer is one of the better ideas to come along.

I'd rather have a Sig 229 Equinox .40 DA/SA with front cocking serrations, and the Short Reset Trigger option.

[Edited on December 10, 2007 at 3:25 AM. Reason : but now that i think about it, i might want a 9mm pistol too.]

The .40 S&W is a relatively hot load (compared to the .45 and the 9mm) with a tendancy to wear out recoil springs quickly and have, as gk2004 put it, KA-BOOM issues when the bullet gets set back too far. That being said, if a gun can handle a .40 S&W it should be able to handle a 9mm fairly safely if you really wanted it. But if the manufacturer says no . . . I wouldn't go with it.

Look at the new Ruger SR9 as well. My friend has a P95 and I was surprisingly impressed with the way it shot for the price. They've put a LOT into this new SR9, so it would be worth a look: http://www.ruger.com/SR9/

Initially, I hated polymer pistols, but that is mostly because the primary polymer pistol was the Glock and I never liked the way Glocks felt in my hand. I've been won over by the M&P.]

I have never been a fan of the .40, they seem to have a snappier recoil impulse than the .45, and are a mere shadow of what it should have been, the venerable 10mm. However, they are the answer for the law folks, more muzzle engergy than a 9mm with higher capacities than .45acp guns but less recoil than the full house 10mm loads. The .357sig in a sig would be very nice, but the cost of ammo is a factor and despite what the gunstore guy tells me I will still be able to buy ammo for it in 5 years. and 16 ga, and .44 special.

[Edited on December 10, 2007 at 8:40 PM. Reason : get a .45 and be done with it. ]

It is a different recoil impulse, more of a thump with a .45 and more of a snap with a .40. the important thing here is to do what you are doing which is try a bunch of different guns, shapes and weights are very important. I love a jframe airweight with .38+p, some will say the recoil is unpleasant but mine fits my hand well. I never liked the glocks due to the ergonomics, other people swear by them.

dont buy anything that dosent start with .4 and you will be fine. you will find one that feels good to you .

Actually, in all fairness, you're comparing apples to oranges when you compare revolver rounds to autos, so I'm just picking nits.

I've had a 40S&W, a .45ACP and now a 9mm and I'm a big fan of the nine. At 25' and less the 9mm loaded with quality ammunition is a perfectly capable round. As a matter of fact, some studies coming out of Iraq have said that the 9mm is preferable to the .45 because of 1) greater magazine capacity and 2) the 9mm is a better weapon for controlled pairs due to quick follow up and greater magazine capacity. Guys were bleeding out faster from 2x 9mm rounds than 1x .45 round, and this is using ball ammo, not hollow-points.

That being said, 9mm, .40, .357, or .45 will all work if you find a gun you like and practice with it.

^^^ & ^^^^ Seems like most people would choose to use non fmj/wad-cutters/etc. as their personal defense loads. I'm not up to date on the latest defense loads, but seems like that would make a difference in the comparison of loads-

gold dots or hydrashocks have been proven by the law folks so I like them. In general if it has a hole in it, or some lead poking outof the copper jacket, it will do the job. that being said the .45acp earned it reputation with ball ammo, so dont discount that for a minute, I sure dont want to be on the wrong end. I worry less about what ammo or caliber I carry and more about the fundamentals of shooting, good shot placement improves every round you fire( you should still carry/own as much gun as you can use though).

Friend of mine had all sorts of trouble trying to find a decent load to cycle in his P3AT, ended up trading it for a Smith .38+P (great swap, of course). so yeah, ive seen the troubles of feeding/cycling different ammo

and no, great answer. as well i want to be clear that I too do not discount the use of any round used, as long as good shot placement is utilized. I simply was after someone's opinion on "hotter" rounds or not.

I'm still working on my grouping with the G23, I'm a smaller dude with medium hands and the recoil is fairly stiff with the polymer frame, regardless of load. I'd like to be able to pull off a decent double tap with it...we'll see

I keep Gold Dots in everything I carry, even my little Beretta 21A -.25 cal. Its a great little pistol. Easy to carry in the summertime as well. The Pierce rubber grips are the best money I ever spent on it. I would have rather found it one in .32 but this one was priced right and it holds 9+1. Anyone else carry a "pocket" pistol? I havn't heard good things about the Kel-Tek's.